Columnist: It has been noted

A free, expert breakdown of this official LSAT Logical Reasoning question.

TopicsRole

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Stimulus

Columnist: It has been noted that attending a live musical performance is a richer experience than is listening to recorded music. Some say that this is merely because we do not see the performers when we listen to recorded music. However, there must be some other reason, for there is relatively little and listening to someone in the same room read a story.

What this question is testing

Role

Your task

Break the argument into its conclusion and evidence, then do exactly what the question stem asks with that structure.

Common trap

Answers that sound relevant to the topic but don't connect to the argument's actual reasoning.

Winning move

Predict what a right answer must do, then test each choice against the conclusion-evidence gap.

Reading along? Open the full official question in LawHub — we show a fragment here and keep the reasoning in our own words.

The question

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the role played in the argument by the observation that attending a live musical performance is a richer experience than

Answer choices

Not the Conclusion3% picked this
It is what the columnist's argument purports
What an argument purports to show / demonstrate / argue / prove is the conclusion. The first claim was background.
3%
Not a Reason9% picked this
It is the reason given for the claim that the columnist's argument is
It is an accepted phenomenon. We all think concerts are better than recordings. The author and the "some say" crew are debating the reason why, but the first sentence is the phenomenon for which they're seeking a reason, not a reason itself.
9%
Bad Conclusion Match30% picked this
It is what the columnist's argument purports
Had the author gone one step further and offered her own explanation for why concerts are better than recordings, this would be apt. If the author had said, "Some say it's because we can see the performers. But there must be some other reason. Perhaps the subwoofers at live concerts are so much better at vibrating our bodies with low frequencies ...." This author just shoots down a possible explanation. She never offers one of her own.
30%
Not a Counterpoint12% picked this
It is what the columnist's argument purports
The argument purports to refute the 2nd sentence, not the 1st one.
12%
Correct46% picked this
It is what the position that the columnist tries to undermine is
Why this is right
Is there a position the columnist is trying to undermine? Yes, the 2nd sentence. Is the 2nd sentence purporting to explain the 1st sentence? Yes, the 2nd sentence is saying the reason we like concerts more than recordings is that we can see the performers at concerts.
Skill tested: Role · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
46%

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